Fire and Ice Part 5
by Cassiem101
Summary: A zutara fanfiction.


When Katara got up she plaited her hair for the first time in a month. As she was doing so, she hummed quietly to herself. Zuko would like her hair better this way, she thought as she pinned her loopies back.

She froze and stared at her reflection in the mirror. What was she thinking? Zuko didn't care about her hair!

She walked out into the dining room in her bare feet. A few early morning customers were sipping tea, but apart from them and 'team avatar', the shop was empty. Katara sat next to Toph just as Iroh slipped her a steaming plate of bacon and eggs.

She began hungrily eating while all the time noticing Zuko's eyes flicking up and down her body. Couldn't he control them? Of course not, she thought. He's a guy. Katara sighed and briefly contemplated the thought of becoming a nun before dismissing it on its flimsy base.

Zuko began to speak. "So, as I was saying, Ozai is insane and, although he has no bending, powerful. He was metalbended out of his cell. Toph says..."

Zuko's words clicked in her brain. The note- she hadn't been focusing on that part. Toph had... Toph...

Katara pulled the tea from every pot in the room simultaneously and froze Toph to the wall. "How could you, Toph?" She said, her eyes streaming with tears.

"Hey! Unfreeze me! I can explain!"

Katara was hysterical now and in no mood for explaining. "You METALBENDED Ozai out of his cell?! What are you, insane?! We're all gonna die!"

"Katara-" Zuko began, but was cut off by Toph.

"You stupid cow! Why won't you listen to me?! It wasn't me-"

"How could you put us in this danger? How, Toph?" Katara sobbed.

"You little bitch!" Toph gasped. She was quickly losing her patience. "You're jumping to conclusions! Just give me a-"

"No! Go to hell!" Katara slammed out of the room, leaving the bewildered customers and her friends behind her.

She curled up on her bed. For a year, her life had been good. Aang had been nice, the perfect boyfriend, bringing her flowers and smiling whenever she came into the room. Then it had started. He had began forcing himself on her and when she refused he came out with claims that she didn't love him and if she did she'd let him.

She loved him, alright, but not enough to let him have sex with her. It was like kissing your brother- wrong.

Then she had broken it off. The last week had been horrible, Aang calling her everything from a frigid cow to fat to ugly to much worse. She had cried herself to sleep every night.

Someone knocked at her door and then let themselves in. It was Sokka. He came and sat next to her on the bed. She buried her face in the pillow.

"Katara, you should listen to what Toph has to say. She didn't do it."

"Oh, really? Yeah, there's another thousand metalbenders out there. Let's line them up and count them off, shall we?" Katara quipped into her pillow.

"Listen! Remember when Azula, Mai and Ty Lee were chasing us in that machine? And how Toph stormed off? She met someone. A woman named Chun approached her and insisted Toph teach her metalbending. So she did."

"You- you mean that's it? Toph didn't do it?"

"Nope. Now come and say sorry."

"Oh, no. What have I done?" Katara murmured as Sokka left. She had probably destroyed her relationship with her best friend.

She heaved herself off the bed and walked, head hanging, into the dining room. Zuko and Aang were trying to melt the ice without burning Toph. Katara sighed.

"Here, let me." She gently freed the water from Toph and went to put it back in the pots when suddenly she found herself against the wall, a mountain of rock between her and the ground.

"How do you like it, sugar queen?" Toph snarled.

Instead of fighting back or making a fuss, Katara hung her head. "I'm sorry Toph. I jumped to conclusions."

"Hell yeah, you did." But Toph released the rock and Katara came tumbling down, landing at Toph's feet.

"I'm sorry, Toph. I really am."

"Oh, yeah? Tell it to your _boyfriend_." Toph curled her lip in a sneer and stalked to her room.

She didn't know what she meant by that last comment. She could feel the obvious chemistry between Zuko and Katara, and she knew Aang was picking up on it, too.

Maybe she was jealous. She had heard Katara crying every night for a week two weeks ago. Then she and Aang had broken up. She could only guess about what that was caused by, but she knew it wasn't good. And now Aang was flirting with her, taking advantage of her.

Katara, too, was confused. As she picked herself up from the floor, a hand appeared beside her to help her up. It was Zuko's.

She took it as he pulled her up, staring into her eyes all the while. She thought she saw a twinkle of amusement there, but she couldn't be sure. She pulled her hand out from his and turned to Aang.

Katara detested talking to him, but nearly two years travelling with him had taken its toll. It felt like she was speaking to an old friend.

"What are you going to do?" She asked politely.

"Because the note said he was after you, I'll go to the water tribes. Then I'll come back."

She nodded. "When will you leave?"

"Now. We can't waste any time." He turned to Zuko. "Are you staying?" He said, forcing the words out through stiff lips.

Zuko nodded. "I will stay here, if I am welcome. The Fire Nation is well at the moment and they are adjusting to my rule."

Aang stiffened and nodded slightly. Without him around, who would supervise Katara and Zuko? He didn't know, but he put the safety of the world before the petty relationship with his ex.

Katara, Toph, Iroh, Sokka and Zuko waved Aang and Appa off. When he was gone, Katara breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't around to be looking over her shoulder every second.


End file.
